Page:Englishhistorica36londuoft.djvu/522

 514 THE SUCCESSION QUESTION October and cause you think that in hope that your folowing behauors shall make amends for part of thes erors, you retorne with your princes grace, whose care for you doubt you not to be suche as she shall not nide a remembrancer for your wele. 1 Thus beneath the truculence and petulance of the queen which are so evident in her early handling of the commons, her talks with the Spanish ambassador, and her comment on the preamble, was a sound common sense that enabled her to steer safely through dangerous waters : and the raising of her veto, the sacrifice of money, the relinquishing of any intentions to punish Dalton or other members, constituted the price she paid, readily or reluctantly, for avoiding a parliamentary crisis on the subject of the succession. The result was a victory for her : but it was not a crushing defeat for the commons. J. E. Neale. Appendix I The following manuscript is one of four parliamentary transcripts in a late sixteenth -century hand. There is no date indicated on it, but comparison with a fragmentary draft in Elizabeth's hand and three reports by Cecil, all four of which are amongst the State Papers, as also with one of Silva's dispatches given in the Spanish Calendar, leaves not the slightest doubt that it is a report of Queen Elizabeth's speech to a select number of lords and commons on 5 November 1566. 2 Brit. Mus., Stowe MS. 354, ff. 18 a-19 a. The Queenes maiesties answear to the comon house touching her mariage and the limiticion of succession. If that order had beene obserued in the begininge of the matter and such consideratione had in the prosecutinge of the same as the grauitie of the cause had required the successe therof might haue beene taken other wise then now yt is. but those unbridled persons whose mowth was neuer snarled by the rider did rashlie rid[e] into yt in the common house of publicke place wher m r Bell with his complyces aleaged they wear naturall English men and wear bound to ther country which they sawe must needes perrish and come to confusion unlesse some order weare taken for limitacion of succession of the crowne and further to help the matter must needes preferr their speach to the upper house to haue you my Llordes consent with them whearby you wear seducted of and of simplicitie did assent unto yt which you would not haue done if you had foreseene before consideratly the importance of the matter, so that their was no malice in you and so I do ascribe yt ffor we thinke and knowe 1 Brit. Mus., Cotton Charter, iv. 38 (2). 2 Cf. supra, p. 505 and foot-notes. In transcribing this and the following manuscripts, I have extended the contractions, including ' ye ' and ' y l '. Editorial amendments or additions other than extensions and punctuation are enclosed in square brackets.